In layman’s terms, your typical shopper who uses aisle411’s maps will now be able to access coupons, offers and invitations based on their specific location in a mall. The technology is made possible by Estimote’s Bluetooth LE beacons – small devices that transmit signals to mobile phones and then allow precise determination of a user’s location.

Taking on the Challenges of Indoor, Place-Based Marketing

One of the key challenges to indoor targeting of mobile messages has been that GPS can be inaccurate (especially indoors) and triangulated WIFI and other technologies can be too expensive to install and maintain. But you could theoretically wire an entire mall with Estimote beacons for a few thousand dollars and never have to worry about them again for 2 years when the batteries run out.

Estimote has taken a leadership position in the emerging ‘beacon’ space, in part on the strength of timing (it was getting traction just as Apple announced its iBeacon framework and Bluetooth LE support) and in part on a pedigree at Y-Combinator and the experience of its founders.

We expect to see more announcements like this in the coming months. Estimote has made clear that it has a deep focus on retail experiences – although others have proposed that Estimotes could also have a place in other places like homes, museums or healthcare settings.